Arizona's growth fueled air pollution

[The Straight Story]

Arizona's growth fueled air pollution

PHOENIX, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Arizona's booming population growth polluted its air at a faster rate than any other state between 1990 and 2007, researchers said.

The amount of carbon dioxide pollution from automobile exhaust and electric power generation in Arizona grew 61 percent between 1990 and 2007, researchers for the advocacy group Environment Arizona said Thursday.

That increase was more than three times the national average, The Arizona Republic reported Friday.

Carbon dioxide, which contributes to respiratory illness, is the most common of greenhouse gases researchers say are increasing temperatures and changing Earth's climate.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/13/Arizonas-growth-fueled-air-pollution/UPI-37361258131410/

[Scout]

1. i have family in Phoenix, and most times i've been there, the smog

over the valley is nasty, nasty. makes my eyes water and breathing uncomfortable.

[dhpgetsit]

2. The sprawl makes it difficult to provide mass transit.

And the growth has been insane considering the lack of sustainable water supplies.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. Arizona's growth is just completely absurd anyway.

It's the fucking DESERT. The water has to come from elsewhere. The Colorado and other southwestern rivers are already under significant strain. Many western states already have serious water rights issues. Poor planning and unchecked development are not good things. (Arizona averages seven inches of rain a year, by the way)

[KamaAina]

9. The Central Arizona Project sucks up whatever's left of the Colorado

after it leaves Lake Powell, and feeds it into Phoenix and Tucson.

But damn, as a transit rider and pedestrian, I wish there were a way to live on seven (or less) inches of rain a year. :(

[ccharles000]

4. k/r

[Alexander]

5. That's a large part of why I left.

The air and water in Phoenix is just disgusting. I was coughing up garbage every day and having to use a filter every time I wanted a drink.

Phoenix is simply not sustainable. In 10-20 years there are going to be some serious shortages out there.

[The Straight Story]

6. I think people in Arizona are safer in bars than outdoors there

:)

[Alexander]

8. The beer is certainly safer to drink than the water there.

[niyad]

7. last year, on one of the pbs stations, there was a special called something like "making meaning of

place" (sorry, just looked at the programming, and couldn't'find it)

one of the segments was on phoenix, and addressed the issues of sprawl, pollution, etc. one of the comments was about how heavily subsidized the water is, and how cheap. toward the end of the program, the various experts were talking about how to limit growth in the area--my thought was, well, DUHHHHHH, make everyone pay the actual cost of water being brought in. that would stop things in a hurry.

years ago, there was another pbs special called, "the cadillac desert" (the book is amazing). one of the first things said was, "no human being should be living here".